March 6 (UPI) — Rhode Island lawmakers introduced a bill this month that would charge porn viewers an extra $20 fee.
The bill, introduced by Democratic state Sens. Frank Ciccone and Hanna Gallo, would require Internet service providers to automatically block all “sexual content and/or patently offensive material.”
Rhode Island state law defines “patently offensive material” as anything that is “so offensive on its face as to affront current standards of decency.”
In order to get the material unblocked, Rhode Islanders will have to go through a series of steps, including making a request in writing that they want to be able to view the pornography or other “patently offensive material.”
The person will then have to prove he or she is at least 18 years of age and then acknowledge that they received a “written warning regarding the potential danger of deactivating the digital blocking capability.”
After those steps are satisfied, a one-time $20 fee is assessed to unblock the adult material.
The money collected from the fees will go to the state’s council on human trafficking, according to the bill’s language.
The bill was referred to the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee.
